Next time you go out to drink, make sure to ask the price of your liquor before you order it. Otherwise, you might end up in the same situation TikToker Saydie Dorton found one of her customers in.
In a viral video posted on Saturday, Dorton (@realslimsaydie) described her experience waiting on a man who ordered five Komos tequila old-fashioneds without realizing they each cost approximately $100. As of publication, her video has over 240,000 views.
The tequila incident
The video opens on Dorton standing in what looks like a parking garage, rapidly explaining why she’s making a video.
“I didn’t tell my bar guest that his old-fashioned costed a hundred dollars, and he bought five of them,” she says. There is on-screen text that echoes her statement, nearly word-for-word, and includes a crying emoji. The video jump cuts to her ducking her head into the camera, exclaiming, “Brooooo!” before it cuts back to her story.
Dorton begins by stating that she usually discloses the price of the drink to customers before they buy it. “I don’t like any unhappy surprises at the end,” she reassures. The video cuts to Dorton in her car, where she tells viewers that in this case, she was serving a self-proclaimed big spender.
“He’s spending money, he is here to impress his date,” she emphasizes. “Any upgrade that there is, he wants it.” The man had an interest in the tequila brand Komos, and Dorton says he asked her to bring him all the types of Komos she had behind the bar.
“I bring them down, show him what we have, I’m even nice enough to pour him a tiny little taste of all four of them,” she says. Then, the guest ordered the Komos Extra Añejo as an old-fashioned.
What’s the problem with a Komos old-fashioned?
“The [expletive] shot of it is $95, and the upcharge to make it an old fashioned is four [dollars],” Dorton yells. She adds that she didn’t want to explain the price because she was afraid she might embarrass or upset the customer. “I’m like, holy [expletive], maybe I should’ve said something, but again—I’m not gonna embarrass him, I know he’s spending money.”
After the guest ordered two more Komos old-fashioneds, Dorton really began to panic. She recalls that after the third one, she went to her co-workers for advice. “They’re like, ‘No Saydie, honestly I think it’s tacky if you do that, it’s too late,’” she says.
By the time the guest ordered a fourth old-fashioned, Dorton says she decided to subtly give him the tab. However, when she tried to do so, the customer rebuffed her.
“I print the tab nicely, and I’m like, ‘You just wanna take a look at that real quick? Is this good, are we good?’ And he goes, ‘I don’t want the bill, I want another old-fashioned,’” Dorton slams her hands against the dashboard and shakes her head. “I’m trying to save you!”
A tip for the future
Dorton gave up, and lucked out when the guest stopped ordering drinks after his fifth old-fashioned. She brought them the final bill, totalling around $700, and fled the table. From afar, she saw the man and his date start to panic.
“I’m like, ‘I’m so sorry!’” she says. She adds that the man and his date weren’t angry and even tipped. Dorton still regrets the whole scenario.
“I am traumatized and I will make it a point to mention [the price] every single time,” she declares. “Even though some people find it rude.”
“I can’t explain how much I was [expletive] myself everytime he ordered another one,” she says in the caption, followed by a crying emoji. “But he also picked out the tequila himself it’s not like I recommend it.”
Fellow servers to the rescue
Many insightful viewers offered Dorton smooth and subtle ways to tell a customer the price of an expensive liquor.
“I always tell people ‘this is considered an allocated liquor so I do have to disclose the price, a standard pour is going to be ____,” said one commenter. “Saying it’s allocated makes people happy to know it’s special.”
“I always say ‘it’s policy on our higher end products that I make you aware of the price before ordering,’” recommended another viewer.
Fellow servers are fed up
Some watchers were more pessimistic about the situation.
“I got yelled at for not disclosing the price of a $75 shot by a guest,” shared a viewer. “I’ve been yelled at for letting guests know because it’s ‘rude to assume they won’t pay the price.’ There’s no winning.”
“THIS IS THE REALEST COMMENT,” Dorton replied. “You can do either one and someone will still tell you you did the wrong thing.”
“This makes me extra sad bc that komos extra anejo is so rich and smooth on its own why did u want it in an old fashioned.” bemoaned a commenter. “Like the repo rosa sure.”
“YESSSSSSSS,” agreed Dorton. “Tbh anything Komos needs to be enjoyed neat just because it’s so smooth… like no marg/old fashioned.”
@realslimsaydie I can’t explain how much I was shitting myself everytime he ordered another one
♬ original sound – Saydiebut he also picked out the tequila himself it’s not like I recommend it
Why was the tequila so expensive?
In case any readers are wondering, as of publication, a bottle of Komos Extra Añejo costs $599.99 on the Komos website.
According to Nikita Ephanov of Tasting Table, extra añejo tequila is usually more expensive, no matter the brand. “Extra añejo” means the tequila was aged in an oak barrel for at least three years. Sometimes, it’ll be aged in multiple barrels to create a certain blend of woodsy, smoky notes in the final drink.
Due to this special flavor, Ephanov recommends extra añejo fans steer clear of using it in mixed drinks.
The Daily Dot reached out to Dorton via TikTok and Instagram direct message.
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